I’ve been having a think over the New Year about how I’d like this blog to develop. I still love doing embroidery of all kinds – not just the mini sort, that I sell as kits for adult doll’s houses in my business Janet Granger Designs, but also the surface embroidery, stumpwork and cross stitch designs (sometimes my original designs, and sometimes kits and charts by other designers) that I have kitted up and have ready to go in my huge stash.

But I also spend quite a bit of my time making and collecting miniature things for my own doll’s house collection – I now have three doll’s houses, with two of them being ‘newish’, and never written about before.

So, my decision needs to be about this: do I ‘diversify’ this blog, and start sharing more about what I do for my mini hobby (making and collecting), or do I keep it purely ’embroidery focussed’? Do I start a separate blog, to keep ’embroidery’ posts separate from ‘miniatures’ posts, or blend the two in the one blog (this one!).
I’d love a bit of feedback here, so please comment below and let me know what you think. Would you enjoy reading about both subjects? Do you, too, have an interest in both hobbies, or not? Would you prefer there to be two blogs, so that you can visit or follow the blog that interests you, and not read the other one?
Talk to me!
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I would prefer two blogs. However, I would also like two or three times a year to have a post on your miniatures and doll houses in this blog. I would be interested in seeing photos of your houses with the miniatures you have done.
I would like to see both in one blog as I like all of your items and I am interested in both.
I would love to read about both please. Yours is the only blog I follow and I always enjoy what you write about. I am just a small ‘dabbler’ in these topics but find reading about them inspiring. Please continue. Jennie
Thanks, that’s nice to know – would you like to read about both in the one place, or two separately?
Personally, I prefer one blog. I don’t have a lot of time to read blogs, and while I like yours, if I had to go to two separate sites, I probably wouldn’t.
Yours is the only blog that I follow. I don’t do miniatures at this time but hope to get involved when I retire. I love embroidery of many kinds and love to read about all that you do, small or large. Keep it to one blog in my opinion; don’t know that I would read two.
Janet, I love your blog and all you do. I’d love to read about your talents and adventures in one blog. I follow many blogs, adding another to my list is doable but not preferable. I look forward to your decision.
I’d love to see the variety on one blog.
I would like to read about both in one place but I am willing to read about these things in two or more blogs. I will gladly do that. I am building a dollhouse and cross-stitching. I find your projects inspiring and daunting but that only makes me want to work harder!!
I’m an oldie at embroidery & a newbie at miniatures/doll houses. I would love to read about both in one blog, but will follow two if that’s your decision. Seems to me that they would blend beautifully.
I love your blog as it is today. I do embroidery, I followed your Carolyn Pearce, Home Sweet Home, I love that project and your presentation. I hope to tackle it one day.
If you throw in a miniature project I always look through it, I enjoy all information, I can always learn something.
Please keep up the great work you do.
As for me I will be happy either way.
Thank you
Mary Ann
I commented but it didn’t post, so I am sorry if it is a duplicate.
I would love to see you post on all of your types of creativity. So often, those of us who create do create using more than one medium. They often bleed to other aspects of the creative world. I think that it only expands on our own creativity and will be very inspiring. I don’t think that posting in two places will be beneficial, as it is easier to follow one blog. If one isn’t interested in a particular post, it only takes a minute to pass on it. 🙂 Keep posting ALL of your creative thoughts! ❤ Sheila
I enjoy reading about both together. There’s always something new here.
I read and enjoy all your posts about your embroidery but since my main hobby is dollhouses and miniatures, it would be great to have them both in one blog. But I would follow two blogs.
Hi Janet, I love your blog. I would love to read one blog with topics combined. Your miniatures are an inspiration and your kits are very beautiful and fun to stitch. Your dedication to needlework is so wonderful! Thank you. I am a knitter, quilter and embroiderer. I have always dreamed of building and decorating a doll house–and have a plan to do so in 2018. I would enjoy anything you’d like to write about miniatures (making furniture, etc.). Thanks again for all you do.
I vote for two blogs. Like Isabel, two or three times a year updates on the dollhouses would be nice, but I would love to see more of your other work.
I would like to read about both on this blog!! I love tiny things and stitched things!
I love reading about your embroidery and am very curious about miniatures even if it’s not a hobby I see myself getting into. I think in an organization point of view, two separate blogs might be better for you.
I love reading about everything you do all in one spot. My likes have changed as I age and I try new things. I started off on needlepoint and crewel work then found cross stitch and now a bit of stumpwork. I love high count fabrics as well. Even though I never had a doll house, it doesn’t mean that I didn’t wish I did – or that I might have a granddaughter someday that will. I find it all very inspirational!
I have interests in both areas. I too have dollshouses and I often make smaller dioramas and box rooms. I do crosstitch both in miniature and real size. I would be happy to read about your work, either in two blogs or one. I love to read about your projects.
From personal experience I can say without hesitation that, whilst it’s a lot of work doing one blog to a high standard, it’s a lot more running more than one. That being the case, I would suggest keeping the two subjects together. I love both, so I’m perfectly happy with that.
TBH, it’s your blog and your time. Although I completely understand wanting to please our readership, at the end of the day, they are our own blogs and we simply cannot please everyone. I too ask for feedback from time to time, but I still go with something that works for me. I recommend you do the same. Suit yourself! Whenever there’s a major change, there’ll be fall out in lost readership, but most people will stay and new people will find us.
☺☻♥
I would love to see surface embroidery and stumpwork included.
I receive many blogs per day so I would prefer you just have the one blog and share what you would like with your readers. I always skim through all the blogs and if it doesn’t seem like something I’m interested in, I don’t read the details. If it sounds interesting, I go back and read it word for word. I follow one blogger because I enjoyed her quilting tips and was inspired by some of them (but not all and that’s fine). She also shares her cat stories and photos and quite often a recipe. In the summer she also shares photos and info from her garden and when she hikes, photos along the way. I skim through and filter what catches my eye. I wouldn’t think it reasonable for her to make 4 or 5 different blogs. As she has grown and expanded the subjects in her blog, I have grown with her. I don’t blog but I appreciate bloggers, like yourself, who share “their interests” with others, sometimes they throw in something different (variety is the spice of life), and some even share a free pattern or give-away once or twice a year, some don’t. It’s all good and fine with me. Again, I vote one blog.
One blog, with whatever interests you
Your blog is very inspiring for me, especially Home Sweet Home, which is in my queue. I would love to read about all crafts on your one blog, but whichever is easiest for you. If two blogs, I’ll just add that one to my Feedly so won’t miss any of your postings.
I would prefer one blog Janet 🙂
Hi Janet,
I love reading your blog and am interested in the full size work that you do as well. I would prefer one blog but I’ll read both either way that is best and easiest for you to accomplish. I’m looking forward to reading whatever you decide to do and in any format.
Hi I always enjoy the content of your blog and would be quite happy to see posts about your doll houses even though I am too busy with embroidery to take on another hobby! I think you should do what pleases you , after all you are the one who takes the time to write your blog and I’m sure one blog would be simpler for you. Many thanks for all your posts!
Hello Janet,
My preference is for one blog. Thank you for asking…..I love reading your blog.
Both on your blog remind me of miniatures enjoyed as child and the embr’y focus of now. Your thorough photos & finishing explanations, particular of the Gingerbread House projects prompted me to learn that laced matboard construction so I have made a Pumpkin-embellished Celtic Tree door ornament as well as the Gingerbread cottage house side for my Christmas decorations. Having admired the Inspirations magazine projects too, I’ve read your blog each step in those dimensional constructions, dreaming to eventually make time to apply my design ideas in lieu of the traditional motifs. Whatever you do, your site is bookmarked on my computer, with gratitude.
As a miniaturist I’m in favour of reading about both on your blog. I’ve tried the two separate blogs thing and while it’s a great idea in practice, in theory there is just never enough time to devote to both equally.
I’d love to hear more about your miniature projects and I’m sure that needlework and embroidery will feature large there too! 🙂
Bonjour Janet et autres “copines” du monde… Je préférerai deux blogs différents. Un blog comme aujourd’hui et un autre avec vos créations avec un partage possible d’idées, de conseils…etc. Pas seulement un site “d’achat”. C’est vrai que ce serait sûrement plus de travail pour vous mais comme vous nous demander notre avis, voilà le mien.
En ce qui me concerne, je vous envoie régulièrement des photos de ma maison victorienne de 25 pièces, qui avance bien et c’est un grand plaisir de partager ça avec vous.
Merci encore pour vos kits.
Catherine (France)
ENGLISH TRANSLATION (by Bing Translator): Hello Janet and other “friends” of the world… I’d rather two different blogs. A blog like today and another with your creations with a possible sharing of ideas, advice… etc. Not only a “shopping site”. It is true that it would be more work for you but as you ask us our opinion, this is mine.
Regarding me, I regularly send you pictures of my Victorian house of 25 pieces, which is progressing well and it is a great pleasure to share it with you.
Thanks again for your kits.
Catherine (France)
One blog with variety of stuff is always an inspiration. Lots of us aren’t specialists but open to new ideas. You have plenty to share so keep it together, easier for you and us!
between myself and my girlfriend we see a lot of your posts on FB. i love the stuff and would love to see your dollhouses and accomplishments in them. i pop in to your blog whenever possible and full size or mini size, everything is marvelous.. keep it up.. one blog is fine..
I would recommend that you keep it to one blog, mostly as we only have so much time.
I like to think that your blog tells us a little about who you are as a crafts person, and that includes all sides of things you want to make public.
These days with apps and readers, it is no trouble to follow two blogs as if you were following one.
I struggle with keeping my blog up to date, a full time job, mother, ‘wife’, and all the stitching I want to do!
I vote for one blog. I am most interested in your embroidery, especially the way you did the Home Sweet Home piece. I find that most helpful when you decide to proceed a little differently from the printed directions. It gives me the courage to make things “my own”. And quite often your way makes more sense to me, and seems easier. Having said that, I would miss seeing your miniature pieces. I haven’t started those as yet, but there is always tomorrow. Of course at my age one cannot count on too many tomorrows.
Thanks for a great blog. It is one of the first things I read.
I’d vote for two blogs since I have no interest in miniatures or dollhouses at all. BUT it wouldn’t cause me distress to just click over the posts that are outside my embroidery interests. If I find the other topics become too prevalent, I probably would unsubscribe for a time and check back in 6 months to see if the blog returned to my interest area. I also recognize how much more work it is to maintain two separate blogs so it’s really what works for your creative process.
I agree with Kim. I would be seeing whether the blog continues to provide the most important element for me which is project development and construction of projects, which you, Janet, do magnificently. As you know, I love asking you questions about how you put things together. I so admire the projects you do. It will come down to balance in the end. I love miniatures, but there is not so much challenge in that, so I would be learning less. As the blog is at present, I find it really nice and balanced, but would not object to the odd miniature being added as long as your other projects were still presented.
I enjoy reading your blog and like it as it is. I embroider all kinds of embroidery, and even if I do not make miniature houses, I think that is inspiring to read about 🙂
Hi Janet, I don’t mind whether you broaden the topics on this blog or start another, but I’m most interested in your embroidery posts. If you post about miniature embroidery I’d probably enjoy reading that but I might skip past general miniatures posts. On other hand … maybe you’ll hook me into miniatures as well! 🙂
Hi Janet!
I love reading about your embroidery pursuits, as that is my hobby. I’m not (yet!) interested in miniatures so much, but having said that, if you were to write them, I would read them! From my perspective, I think I would prefer one blog. But it is really up to you and where your current passion lies!
I love the variety on your blog and I also share your interests in small embroideries and collectibles. I love it the way it is.
Thank you
Gail from Australia
Both together please, I embroider and have dolls houses so both interest me. I also like variety so even if your subject matter isn’t something I would normally follow I am sure it would be interesting.
I would love one blog, not two. It’s twice the work for you to maintain 2 blogs, and takes more time to read them, too. Due to eye problems I can’t do your embroidery but I really enjoy looking at your photos! You are a gifted artist and I certainly appreciate all your work. Thank you for this.
I love your blog & would love to see both options on the same blog. Shaking things up a bit is a good thing & can be quite interesting. Also easier to follow one blog, rather than having to add another to my list.
I would love to see one blog with both miniatures and needle work. Also love to see pictures of your miniature houses.
I have a passion for both topics and love seeing all your embroidery projects. I would really like to see all your houses (I’m not crazy after all!) as I have 2 houses and 3 shops. One blog would be perfect.
Hi Janet. I think one blog is fine. This is the only blog I follow and follow it because I’m interested in what you are doing as your interests are similar to mine. (I like dollhouses and needlework.) One blog would be less work for you and that would leave more time for you to create! Kim (Canada)
Dear Janet , While I don’t normally reply to blogs I really enjoy reading about what you are doing and as I have an interest in miniatures, dolls houses and embroidery a combined blog would be great.
Hi Janet! I would love to see it all on one blog. I love miniatures and also needlework. I enjoy following this blog but would also love to see your own dollhouses! I am slowly working my way through a stash of your mini kits… and I have way too many dollhouse projects underway…. but I always love to see more and be more inspired!
Hi Janet, I have done many of your miniature embroidery kits but I also do full-size cross-stitch and love following your work in other areas on your blog. My vote would be for you to combine all your work in one blog – it is easy to just skip a post if people aren’t interested in the topic and I’m sure that many people who have never considered doing miniatures would still find it fascinating to see a glimpse of the wonderful world we love so much. So please do share your dollhouses and miniatures on this blog, and also show your stitching for them as well as the full-size stitching that you do so beautifully.